A Discourse on Belarusian Music and its Role in the Construction of Identities in Belarus
A Discourse on Belarusian Music and its Role in the Construction of Identities in Belarus

Summary/Abstract: Issues of national identity remain a topic of great importance in Belarus, the state between "East and West". In this article, I identify the discourse on Belarusian music taking place among young Belarusian adults. This discourse is centred on three major aspects: the very existence of a distinct Belarusian music, its authenticity and the aspect of language. The article attempts to demonstrate that the discourse, characterized by young people's ambivalent perceptions of Belarusian culture and music, reflects the ongoing process for the search for identity. The complexity of the notion of Belarusian culture and the ambiguity of the term "Belarusian identity" is linked with the issue of the Belarusian language, which occupies a marginal position in Belarus. In this article, I analyse the interconnection of the perceptions of music, culture and language in Belarus, and identify the functions which Belarusian music fulfils, both for Belarusian- and Russian-speaking Belarusians.

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